Laser performance of pyrromethene 567 dye in solid matrices of methyl methacrylate with different comonomers

Laser performance of pyrromethene 567 (PM567) dye dissolved in pure poly(me thyl methacrylate) homopolymer and its copolymers with 2-hydroxyethyl metha crylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-phenoxyethyl acr ylate, and 2,2,2-trifluoromethyl methacrylate has been investigated. The ch osen monomers were selected to mimic solvents used in a previous study on t he photophysical and lasing properties of PM567 in liquid solution in order to establish correlations between the lasing properties of PM567 in liquid and solid solutions. The vol/vol proportion of the different comonomers in each copolymer formulation was systematically varied, and the effect of ea ch composition on the lasing properties of PM567 was evaluated. The laser s amples were transversely pumped at 534 nm with 5.5-mJ pulses from a frequen cy-doubled Q-switched Nd:KGW laser. Lasing efficiencies of up to 30% and go od photostabilities, with a drop of the initial laser output of 20% after 1 0 000 pump pulses in some of the solid samples, were demonstrated.